A justified police shooting...and how police work has changed.

Here is a police shootout from Idaho in September 2012. It shows how quickly things happen and how many times a cop shoots in a firefight.

Video: Police fire over 70 rounds in deadly Idaho shootout 

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A northern Idaho prosecutor has concluded the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man by Coeur d'Alene police officers was justified. 

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh released the documents Friday involving the September 2012 shooting of Christian Nicholas Buquet, 19. "Mr. Buquet posed an immediate and continuing danger to the lives of anyone who he may have come into contact with," McHugh wrote. "There was absolutely no indication at that time that he intended to stop his continuing violent conduct or surrender to officers when they fired to stop him." 

The Coeur d'Alene Press reports police responded to a report of shots being fired in a Coeur d'Alene neighborhood. Police said Buquet shot and injured another man and then fired random shots at other citizens. Four officers fired 77 shots at Buquet after a 5-mile car chase. He died at the scene. 

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office released at 75-page summary of its investigation. The agency also released video recorded from cameras mounted on vehicles as well as officers. Authorities said Buquet, after shooting 29-year-old Frank James in the chest, fled the scene and fired a semi-automatic pistol at three bystanders. Buquet traveled east on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive while being pursued by multiple officers. Video from the police cameras show several motorists having to evade Buquet's vehicle as he drives on both sides of the road. Buquet fired at police when he turned a corner, police said.  Buquet pointed a gun at them on a curve, but he crashed and hit a barrier cable and stopped, police said. Four officers positioned their vehicles around Buquet and fired. 

"The loss of life is always tragic, and I extend my condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Buquet," McHugh wrote. "At the same time there is a price to be paid by those who were compelled by circumstances beyond their control, their oath and a sense of duty to use deadly force. I hope my findings help in some way to bring closure to this incident."  

Last year I posted on how to not jump to conclusions on police actions based on one video.  In the comments many people stated that cops were too trigger happy and overly aggressive with people.  The man who swore me in when I was commissioned in the Army back in 1987 made that point on a Facebook discussion.  I made the point this was not Mayberry and the bad guys are rather well armed.  We both agree it would be helpful if our federal Department of Justice would not sell weapons to the Mexican gangs and if our Border Patrol would secure the border.

Again, look at what those officers had to deal with.  If you watch a movie or a TV show the cop goes into a firefight that takes minutes, they can keep count of the number of rounds they've fired and the never empty magazine which is always nice.  In reality the firefight takes seconds and decisions have to made instantly.  This was also a point I made about the Zimmerman-Martin case in 2012.  And it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback.    

Thanks to Police One for the link.